Through Glass
by Malachite Circle
Summary: What were real!Syaoran's thoughts while he watched the world from inside a prison of glass? Begins from the creation of his clone...
1. Mirror

**A/N: **Manga-based semi-drabble from real-Syaoran's PoV…cause that's what I'm good at. ;) Huge, neon-sign spoilers for events in manga chapters 119+

Yes, the title is taken from the Stone Sour song, "Through Glass." The first time I heard that song on the radio, my mind immediately jumped to TC and hasn't budged. :P Kinda thought about making a songfic, but this turned out to be more fun. Rating is K+ for the tiniest bit of swearing.

**Standard Disclaimer:** None of the myriad characters/worlds created by CLAMP belong to me…they've left the door wide open for fanfiction though, for which I am eternally

grateful. Also, all lyrics of "Through Glass" belong to Stone Sour.

* * *

**Through Glass: Mirror**

"_I'm looking at you through the glass,_

_don't know how much time has passed._

_All I know is that if feels like forever._

_But no one ever tells you that forever feels like home,_

_sitting all alone inside your head…"_

I wasn't going to let it end like this.

I gritted my teeth as I hung in the air, suspended by a circle of knotted runes, the language of magic made manifest. At the corner of my vision stood Fen Wong Reed, his arms raised, his black robes hardly stirring in the storm which he himself was guiding. I could hear him chanting continuously, his voice a deep, harsh growl.

I spared him hardly a thought. My focus was locked on the huge, circular mirror before me and the figure reflected through that glass. No-no mere reflection, a nearly-complete copy of myself.

Fen Wong's magic surged back and forth through the mirror like the winds of a tempest. I had to fight to keep from crying out as that magic lashed against me. Every time it struck I could feel it steal away a little more of my power. That power was soaked up by my dead-eyed copy on the other side of the glass and Fen Wong's magic snapped back for more before the pain of the first strike had faded.

I didn't have much time. His chanting rose slowly in volume-the very air pulsed in time with his voice now. I drew in a last deep, shuddering breath. If I was to do it, it would have-to be-NOW!

I don't consciously know how I was able to break the binding spell. All I was aware of was that I _pushed_, sharp and fast and hard with every ounce of strength I possessed. He must have been caught off guard, for his chanting faltered and the storm of magic assaulting me calmed slightly. Only slightly, but it was enough.

I didn't allow myself to think when my hand shot up to my left eye. The breath I had taken released itself as magic, magic of release, magic of sealing.

It was not a spell I ever thought I could use-I wasn't sure it had even _existed_ before the incantation left my lips and flew to my left eye.

But it worked.

My eye tore clean of its socket; a faint tug echoed deep in my chest at the same time. I plunged my fist forward through the mirror which parted like icy water, and pushed its contents into my copy's right eye.

Time stood still for a horrible moment when I pulled my hand away. My copy stared blankly back at me-_through_ me with that empty, dead gaze. My failure nearly swallowed me up when a flicker of light chased that black cloud away. It was the faintest of gleams, but it grew and I saw in that eye my spell burning strong around the half of my heart I had given up.

Time held its breath a bare second longer, just long enough for me to relish the thrill of success and fierce joy that bloomed within me.

Then Fen Wong's storm swept me away again.

I knew he was furious. His chanting snarled around me like thunder and I had no strength left with which to resist him. The spell this time was one of pure binding, suppressing, entrapment. Runes glowing white-hot thrashed around me like snakes, tracing themselves along my arms and legs. My body burned hot and cold by turns as his power formed a net over mine and sealed it off like the snuffing of a candle. It was all I could do to keep from screaming. I refused to give him that pleasure, though, and clenched my teeth so hard I thought they might split.

Fen Wong uttered one last harsh syllable that snapped around me like an iron bar. The power left in the room after his voice died swirled in around me like water. I heard him cursing fiercely and almost smiled in satisfaction as my mind fell back into darkness.

* * *

I don't know how much time passed before I awoke fully again. When I gave half my heart to my copy, half of my own power had been lost as well. The spell I used would have taxed Clow Reed himself and under the best circumstances would probably have kept me out for a week or more. On top of that, Fen Wong's binding was ruthlessly designed to prevent any build-up of the power that had been taken from me. 

I drifted in and out of that darkness for a long time. It felt like years. Even opening my eyes was exhausting, so for a long time I didn't even try. I knew what I would see anyway.

Black and white snakes.

That's what they looked like when I finally cracked my remaining eye open the barest inch. The runes and symbols covering every inch of the walls and ceiling. Reflected through glass, they wriggled feverishly with every stirring of the water around me.

_Fen Wong certainly isn't taking any chances,_ I thought in grudging respect. The spells embedded in the walls of this room were tied to the spell binding me, each reinforcing the other. Not only did I feel like I was locked in irons, now I had been effectively shut in a windowless prison cell deep underground and worlds away from a prayer of help.

Panic fluttered up in my chest and I had to struggle to breathe. I could feel the runes crawling over my body like a parasite, twining tight around my arms and legs. They were weightless, formless, not even made of ink, but they bound me tighter than steel cables.

I squeezed my eye shut, trying desperately to hold on to my thoughts before they were swept away. _Can't fight-can't even _move_-Fen Wong's magic burning through me like poison-it _hurts-! Darkness washed at the edges of my mind like an incoming tide and for a moment I almost let myself drown in it.

But no-NO. I was finally awake, dammit, and I was _not_ about to give up this fight before it had even begun.

I took a deep breath (refusing to let myself think about how I could breathe being surrounded by water) and by sheer force of will cleared my mind of all thoughts. Clow Reed's voice whispered softly in the empty spaces they left behind.

_The key to controlling magic is controlling your emotions. The key to controlling your emotions is controlling your thoughts. The purer the emotion the stronger the magic. But emotion is tightly linked with thought, and thoughts too often have a will of their own, a will that would work against you. Do not allow yourself to think when calling magic. Banish all thoughts, allow emotion to guide you and the magic will always be there for you._

The words of my teacher fell like warm sunlight into my cold, dark cell. I continued breathing, deep and slow as in meditation, and gradually my heart calmed. As my body relaxed, I felt myself drifting down, down, slowly like a feather until I came to rest deep inside myself. I let my mind float there for a long moment, lingering in the blessed stillness, free from doubt and fear and pain.

Then, in the softest of all breaths, I called for my magic.

I don't know how long I waited there inside myself. Time meant nothing here and I had learned long ago that magic could not be forced into being. Slowly, oh so slowly, a light gathered before me. It was pale and fragile as a cloud by moonlight and I dare not even blink for fear it would vanish. But it burned calmly, steadily.

Relief sang through my heart. My power, still alive and still my own.

Fen Wong could not touch me here. No matter how ruthless the emotion fueling his magic, not matter how much stronger he was compared to me, he could never render me truly helpless. Even divided in half, my heart was still my own and in it, my power could recover. It was but a glimmer now, but that was all I needed. It was only a matter of time now before it grew enough to break through Fen Wong's bindings.

_But will I have _enough_ time…?_

My thoughts turned an abrupt corner onto a darker street.

_I've never seen a binding that complex before-it could be years before I'm able to unravel it. I've made my move-now it's his turn and he has all the time he wants to move the pieces to his advantage._

The other Syaoran. Half my brother, in one sense, half a corrupted shadow of myself.

Fen Wong could not afford to destroy him, not even after my interference. He must have set him free near Clow Country. I found myself wondering what had happened to him, if anyone had found him yet, even hoping that a kind family might have taken him in.

Yet it was with a chill that I recalled seeing him through the mirror. The physical appearance, the power-he was a nearly perfect copy of myself. But only "nearly" perfect. He was a shell, created as a tool to serve Fen Wong Reed's ambition. I hadn't had time to reflect on it before, but the memories crowded in on me now and I felt a deep, unsettling mixture of revulsion and pity crawl through my bones.

_He still has a chance_, I reminded myself firmly. _Fen Wong created him without a heart, but if he can grow one of his own, he can be free. The half of my heart I gave him is a start, but it's not his own. And as strong as that spell was, it won't last forever. When the seal on his right eye is broken…_

My thoughts paused there, as though gazing down the path they had set upon to be sure it was the right one.

_When that seal is broken and my heart returns to me, if one has not been born to take its place…then for the sake of countless futures in countless worlds…I will destroy you._

With my own power as my witness, I so swore.

That oath settled heavily around my heart, but it was a comforting weight, somehow. I felt like I had something to hold onto now. I didn't want to call it a "goal", because it was a worst-case scenario that I hoped to avoid if at all possible. But it became my rock in this sea of black waves and writhing serpents.

My mind drifted slowly out of that deep place within myself. Exhaustion had finally worn away the discipline holding my thoughts together. Now they scattered like dead leaves to the wind. I released them gladly and let my mind drift in their wake. That wind bore me swiftly along, beyond my prison of glass and into darkness.

* * *

There you go! Not finished yet, of course, but the next chapter will be up shortly. And for those of you who don't believe me…well, just watch me prove you wrong. Muhuhahahaa… :P 

Anyway, that about-face CLAMP took with the two Syaorans was absolutely BRILLIANT, and after these recent chapters (130+), I haven't been able to stop thinking about what it must have been like for Syaoran stuck in that tank that whole time.

And for those of you aware/care, yes, I am aware of the inconsistency as to when Syaoran swore to destroy his other half-in the manga it was in ch. 123, and he said he swore it when he handed over half his heart. While that certainly sounds cool in retrospect, I felt like "Well, how much time has he actually had to think about this and make a decision like that?" It's fanfiction though, what else can I say… :P


	2. Reflect

Another chapter, another stanza! ;) I had a heck of a time trying to tweak this chapter to where I was satisfied, but I finally am. A bit later than intended, but, well, I do have a life outside of writing. A life in wonderful Japan that will soon be coming to its end, so I have to make the most of it! Anyhoos, enjoy!

**Standard Disclaimer:** Tsubasa Chronicle and all its wonderful characters do not belong to me, sadly…just the same, I can't write cool songs like Stone Sour can, so they claim  
rights to "Through Glass". :P

* * *

**Through Glass: Reflect**

"_How do you feel? That is the question._

_But I forget you don't expect an easy answer._

_When something like a soul becomes initialized,_

_and folded up like paper dolls and little notes, you can't expect a bit of hope._

_So while you're outside looking in, describing what you see,_

_Remember what you're staring at is me…"_

"_Syaoran…"_

That name wandered through my mind like a lost cat.

"_Syaoran? Time to wake up now."_

I didn't recognize that voice. At least…I _think_ I didn't. I couldn't really be sure of anything with my thoughts slipping in and out of my grasp. Rays of yellowish light broke through the darkness and I flinched, squeezing my eyes shut.

"_And here you said last night you were so excited about coming to the ruins with me that you wouldn't be able to sleep," _the voice chuckled, warm and friendly.

Ruins?

My eyes flew open. An older man was smiling down at me; he had glasses and short, light brown hair. He was carrying a lantern from which the yellow light was shining.

"_We aren't late, are we?"_ I heard another voice ask. This one sounded unmistakably like my own, but the words had not come from _my_ mouth.

"_No, we're not late-not yet at least. Now come on!"_

The man reached forward with his free hand and hauled me to my feet. At least, that was what it lookedlike. I saw the dimly-lit room surge around me as I rose, but I felt nothing. This couldn't be a mere dream. Everything had too much depth and clarity. It was like I was watching someone else's life through their eyes.

What followed next was a series of hurried preparations. The room was lit only by the lantern and a pale glow that filtered in through the window glass. I saw myself dressing quickly, pulling on sturdy leather boots and a dark shirt.

"_I'll wait for you at the door,"_ the man with glasses added over his shoulder as he left the room. I hurried out after him, turning down a hallway into a small washroom. Just before I bent to splash water on my face, I glimpsed my reflection in the mirror and froze.

Longish brown hair still tousled from sleep, a boyish face that looked younger than what he really was, deep, liquid-brown eyes…

I stared into my own face for a long time and the expression slowly turned confused, almost lost. My hand-no, _his_ hand reached up slowly towards his face. The dull, dead stare of his gaze was gone but his eyes still looked so empty…

_Whatever you're searching for, you won't find it there._ I knew he couldn't hear me. The thoughts echoed hollowly through the empty spaces of my mind. Pity wrung my heart as I watched his expression darken. _Mirrors never once held truth…only its shadow…_

"_Syaoran? Are you ready yet?"_ the man's voice called.

"_Yes, coming father!"_ He wrenched his gaze away from the mirror and dashed out of the washroom.

I should have realized from the beginning that something like this would happen. Half my power, half my heart, half my sight. My slumber had ended long ago. What I saw now was not a dream but the life of my other half.

I watched him join his adopted father at the door of their modest dwelling. The sky outside was the color of lead except in the east where the sun was slowly polishing it to a silvery radiance. I couldn't feel the air but Syaoran's breath misted white before him as he and his father wound through the countless sandstone brick homes.

I wondered how much time had passed since Fen Wong had apparently set him free. It didn't look like very long. My face had hardly changed.

_My face?_ That wasn't quite true…but neither was it truly _his_. I decided not to think to long on that matter. The idea that somebody was walking around wearing my appearance, speaking with my voice but **who was not me** was deeply unsettling. He was a creation of Fen Wong Reed, a man who would not flinch at a river of blood even as it flowed from his own hands.

Syaoran and his father emerged onto a larger street, this one crowded with booths and stalls. Most of them were draped top to bottom with cloth, still closed at the early hour. But here and there people were pulling those cloths back, polishing wooden signs, arranging baskets of bread and fruit and fish for the morning crowd. Several of the venders called out to the pair as they passed, waving cheerfully.

Syaoran said nothing and moved closer to his father.

Beyond the market was a towering gate flanked by an equally impressive wall that defined the border of the city. Syaoran lifted his head as they approached the massive arch, staring in open-mouthed wonder.

The sun was now a thin, burning red crescent that etched itself above the sea of sand undulating all around him. The sky had brightened to a clear, breathless blue streaked here and there with salmon-pink wisps of cloud. Jutting high into that pristine azure expanse were the ruins of Clow Country.

The tips of the double towers gleamed in the light of the rising sun like a blood-stained blade. The bases were still cast in shadow and half-buried in sand.

Syaoran stopped in his tracks and stared, tilting his head back. His father paused and looked back at him smiling.

"_What did I tell you? They certainly are a sight!"_

Several moments passed and Syaoran looked down at his father. Something inside me tensed in anticipation. I was waiting for his reaction-a smile, a shrug, anything. I could feel it-he wanted to do **something**, but he wasn't sure what. So he just continued walking past his father towards the ruins. He never took his eyes off them. I heard his father sigh a little bit and sand crunched under his boots as he followed.

I sighed as well. I could feel water swirling around my face at the movement and cracked my other eye open. The black and white snakes still crawled up and down the walls of my room. Up and down my body. All I could do now was wait.

And while I waited, I watched the world through glass.

This glass was clear, however, the images bursting with color and movement and _life_. I saw waves of rippling sand under a shimmering azure sky. I saw the crumbled stones of ruins old beyond memory. I saw the tall man with kind eyes always gleaming with curiosity-not my father, but somebody who filled the position easily enough. I saw bustling markets filled with raucous venders and equally enthusiastic buyers. I sometimes wondered why the shopkeepers even bothered yelling. Their voices all blended into a white noise in which no single word could be deciphered. Likewise the people didn't seem to need much encouragement to part with their coins in exchange for fish or fruit or cloth or one of countless other items, both exotic and mundane.

Beyond the marketplace, I saw a tall palace of gleaming stone, spired and dotted with windows. And I saw _her_.

I have to admit, I don't have a lot of experience with females, but I had never dreamed someone like Sakura could exist. The moment I laid eyes on her it was as if a shadow had lifted from my mind. Her deep green eyes overflowed with love and innocence so pure diamonds would weep with shame. There never seemed to be a moment where she was not smiling. Her laugh could charm the birds down out of the trees; kindness radiated from her like warmth from the spring sun.

Days and weeks flew swiftly into months and years, and I thought very little of freeing myself from my own confinement. My own magic would recover on its own. All my attention was gathered into that little glass eye. Every waking moment I spent studying Clow Country, or whatever land Syaoran traveled to with his adopted father. There were so many of them, dozens of different customs and languages.

He always came back to Sakura, though, and she was always there to welcome him home. I watched as friendship grew strong between them, and my glass prison felt farther and farther away. They shared so many happy memories and even the painful ones only deepened their bond when they reached out to comfort each other.

And though Syaoran never said anything, I could feel it. Slowly but stronger and stronger every day, a warmth was growing inside him. He was falling in love with her. Hope grew in me, an emotion I never would have dared to dream of. Maybe-just _maybe_ this would be enough…

For a shining moment that was all too brief, I honestly believed it would be.

Then one evening Syaoran came to a deep room in the ruins of Clow Country, deeper than any he'd come to before. I saw the great seal carved in the floor, like a pair of wings with each feather splayed out. I could hear an echo of Syaoran's thoughts as he held the lantern over it for a better look. Curiosity, excitement-he'd never seen anything like this before! If only Father were here too-!

Syaoran turned around suddenly. His gaze fell upon Sakura, who was practically skipping down the stairs toward him, waving, her smile shining bright as ever.

I felt it, then, in that moment, as an almost audible _click_. Sakura's physical presence next to that great seal had triggered something, like the gears of a clock that turn one after another.

_Get her out of here, Syaoran. Hurry!_ It was a vain hope to think that he would hear my cry, but I couldn't help myself. The two of them stood there and chatted aimlessly for a moment, unaware of what was building like an earthquake beneath them, unseen and unstoppable.

_Take her and run! Now! Run and then bury this place beneath the sand where it belongs!_ I all but screamed in my head. My heart pounded furiously, drowning out their words. I saw Sakura's gaze move past Syaoran's, her eyebrows raising in curiosity. Her lips moved and she took a step toward the seal.

_No-! Nononono-Get her away from here! SYAORAN!_

Every muscle in me burned with frustration and the desire to strike out at something. My power boiled up inside me, called by that emotion. It had grown from a mere scrap of marsh light to a blazing sun as the years passed…but I could still sense it was not enough. Lying coiled like a snake beneath all my desperate hope was the knowledge that Fen Wong's power still held dominion over my own. I was a wave breaking against a mountain, the power I had nurtured over the years shattering into hundreds of useless droplets that were soaked up by the hungry earth.

The princess knelt, her gaze far, far away. The seal beneath her exploded with light and she disappeared.

"_Sakura!"_

Syaoran stumbled backward, shielding his eyes. The ruins were shaking all around him, sand and bits of stone raining from the ceiling. A huge circular pit yawned in the floor before Syaoran and he didn't hesitate before jumping down into it.

He landed on a narrow catwalk of stone and started running.

"Sakura…Sakura…" I didn't think he was even aware he was chanting her name as his feet pounded across ancient stone.

Within heartbeats he emerged into a tall, brightly-lit chamber. The light was coming from seal on the wall, the same one as before. Sakura hung suspended in the air before that seal, her body glowing with the same radiant light.

"Sakura!" Syaoran cried again, but she didn't answer. He ran forward again, leaped onto the ridges of carved stone beneath the seal and began climbing up toward her.

_There's still time…all the powers help us, let there still be time!_ I begged silently. I didn't have the strength to yell now, not even in my own head. Fen Wong's binding spell constricted tightly about my body. I had never felt more helpless.

The final gear locked into place and began to turn.

Syaoran looked up at that moment.

Long white feathers unfolded gracefully from Sakura's back. They seemed to be made of light itself, pure as song, brilliant as a winter sunrise.

The fanned gently around her shoulders for a moment. Her hands were clasped in front of her chest as if in prayer; her jade-green eyes were dull and distant.

_The power to transcend dimensions._

Fen Wong Reed, his cold ambition, everything he had sacrificed to get to this point, all the risks he had taken, all the people he had hurt, _killed…_

I understood _why_ at that moment.

_The wings that will lead the way._

I had known long ago about the great power sleeping in her heart. From the moment I laid eyes on the Clow princess, I could sense it lying still and silent beneath the sparkling laughter. Now it was stirring, fighting to be free. It burned in me, harsher than the binding spell, to know the hands closest to this power wanted only to twist it to their own ambitions.

_That power is now being reborn._

The light radiating from her brightened and turned the very air to rippling flame. The stone seal at her back seemed to melt and Sakura sank back into it. Liquid tongues of rock reached out and grabbed at her shoulders and arms, drenching the light of those magnificent wings.

"_SAKURA!!" _That scream rang in my head as if it were my own. It may well have been.

Syaoran launched himself toward her, arms outstretched. They collided and she tore free of the melting stone. Momentum carried both of them away from the seal on the wall. Syaoran twisted at the last second and hit the ground hard, the princess on top of him. Right before his eyes, the wings rising from Sakura's shoulders contorted, their light flickering wildly.

Nobody imagines the end of the world to be a quiet affair. Prophets seem to enjoy speaking of their visions as a horrible rending of sky from stone. A cacophony of screeching metal and pulsing thunder and a million screaming souls.

The power building in that ancient ruin faded like a dying breath. That breath sighed through those long, shining wings and they shattered with a sound like breaking glass. Little feathers, each gleaming like a shooting star, exploded from the princess's back. The air rang with an echo of their power as they flew up beyond the ruins, beyond the sky.

My world, like those feathers, shattered with a sound like whispered song.

* * *

Did that feel rushed? Sorry if it did. I decided I wasn't going to try to make this fic too long/complicated. I'm learning that trying to express all the wild ideas that run through my brain while writing is what is getting me bogged down and leads to stories not being finished. I think I'm pretty good at this whole writing bit…but there's still a lot that can be improved.

Feedback is very much appreciated!


	3. Shatter

**A/N:** Slight spelling change here-**Fei** Wong Reed rather than "Fen" Wong Reed. I can't believe I didn't notice this earlier-that'll teach me to actually LOOK at the katakana next to his name for once. But I guess nobody else noticed either, 'cause nobody said anything. :P

All dialogue is taken from the original Japanese text, translated by yours truly. :D

Terribly late, as usual...terribly sorry, as usual. (bows) But hey, at least it's done now! Enjoy the wonderful Syaoran-centric-ness!

**Standard Disclaimer:** Nuthin' new here, I don't own Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE or Through Glass.

* * *

**Through Glass: Shatter**

"_How much is real? So much to question._

_An epidemic of the mannequins, contaminating everything _

_we thought came from the heart, but never did, right from the start._

_Just listen to the noises-no more sad voices._

_Before you tell yourself it's just a different scene,_

_remember it's just different from what you've seen."_

The ruins were shaking more violently than before, wrenching the very foundation from its buried depths. The rain of pebbles became an avalanche as Syaoran struggled to keep a hold on Sakura and make his way outside. He stumbled over cracks in the floor; his breath burned in his throat. The ruins thundered around him as stone columns that had stood for centuries uncounted split apart like rotten wood.

Trapped in my prison of glass and water, I felt like the eye of a terrible storm. Everything sounded far-away and slightly distorted. My thoughts were trapped in an eerie stillness-I think I was in shock. I had long known that Fei Wong wanted the power sleeping in the ruins, had known that he would use Sakura as the key to that power. The coming of a day like this was inevitable, perhaps even fated.

Syaoran had torn her away from the seal. The power of the ruins was still beyond Fei Wong's grasp. He had failed.

Yet I could not believe that Syaoran had rescued her. The form he clutched so fervently in his arms was limp and cold. All her light had been swallowed up.

I heard a familiar voice, the seer Yukito, speaking to Syaoran in urgent tones and forced my attention towards his words.

"_...Those feathers were the princess's memories-her heart." _Yukito's face was grim, yet somehow resigned. _"All her memories from the moment she was born have disappeared. Furthermore...those scattered memories are no longer even in this world..."_

"_No..."_ Syaoran gasped.

That knowledge sank like a stone through my heart, the waves rising to engulf my thoughts, drowning out what Yukito said next. I knew what his words would be anyway. Body, mind, and heart. All three were inextricably linked. Tear away even one part and the rest will crumble before too long. The princess would die if her feathers, her _memories_ were not returned to her.

_**Surely** Fei Wong has failed! _I told myself a little desperately. My thoughts had broken free of their shock and were now fluttering in confusion. _The power in the ruins-it's all but buried now. Clow Country's princess was the key to that power, but she won't be of any help to him if she doesn't have her memories. Certainly not if she dies!_

Through my copy's right eye I saw liquid-like magic swirl up around Syaoran and Sakura. It coiled close around them and I could sense the surge of power, the feeling of being swept along the crest of a giant wave.

"Their journey has finally begun."

My remaining eye flew open in shock. That harsh, cold voice reverberated in my ears like a metal blade striking ice. I struggled to focus my gaze through the water and glowing runes between us.

Seven years had not changed Fei Wong Reed in the slightest. He looked exactly as I remembered, right down to the small yet undeniably self-confident sneer on his lips.

"I know you've seen what happened," he went on, circling around me like a shark. "Undoubtedly you've seen a great deal, no thanks to that bit of sorcery fate graced you with back then."

His voice hardened audibly on the last sentence. I could feel his anger burning through the binding spells and despite the pain I had to hide a smirk of my own. Seven years and his pride still smarted.

In all that time, Fen Wong Reed had not once come to see me in person. Every now and then I felt his will crawling through the spells upon me, tightening up weak areas and assuring that I was as firmly bound as ever, but that was all. That hadn't come as much of a surprise to me. I knew him to be the sort of man who never once looked back. He knew exactly what he wanted, what he would do to get to it, and most of all, he refused to waste any time on mercy, doubt, or even pride.

So why was he here now?

I closed my eye again, not wanting him to see my confusion. But he continued speaking as though I had never reacted.

"You felt it as well, did you not?" he asked in a quieter voice, standing directly in front of my tank and gazing up at me. I knew better than to try and answer. The bindings included ones of ruthless physical restraint, since many spells required only a spoken word and a gesture. Merely opening my eye took an incredible amount of determination, and forming words was a feat far beyond my power.

Fei Wong chuckled, a dark sound like rocks grinding against each other. "In the ruins, the power of those wings...the power to transcend the very bonds of reality..."

I tried to focus on the scene visible through my copy's right eye. The magic of Yukito's spell washed away from around Syaoran, and he was looking up into the cool, measured eyes of Yuuko, the Dimension Witch. Rain pattered down around them, soaking through Syaoran's cloak. He held Sakura tightly to him, shielding her as though even the rain was an enemy. I tried to concentrate on that, to listen and mark well what they were saying. But Fei Wong's words stuck fast in my mind.

I _had_ felt it. Just before their light shattered, those wings rang with a power that echoed through every corner of creation.

Fei Wong had been the one to orchestrate it, but I too had heard that siren song. Some deeply buried voice whispered reverently of what I might do with such power, were it to be given to me. Barriers and bindings would mean nothing! I could slip through the impregnable walls separating dimensions as though they were silk curtains. I could bring cultures, peoples, whole civilizations together...or divide them from each other utterly-

I silenced that voice swiftly. It sounded too much like Fei Wong Reed.

"What will happen next, do you think?" he went on. I couldn't see his face, but I knew he was smiling. The water in my tank stirred around me as though someone had passed a hand over its surface.

Fei Wong chuckled again, softer than before. It was almost a purr.

"Your other half will certainly not let his beloved princess die." The words were thick with what could only be called satisfaction. He was pleased about something, pleased enough that he felt it was worth coming to flaunt it in front of me personally. A feeling of deep unease sprouted in me.

I felt the distant surge of power where Syaoran was and watched as two more figures appeared in Yuuko's dreary courtyard. One was a black-garbed man in a warrior's crouch, holding a long katana with a finely crafted hilt in the shape of a silver dragon. He looked extremely angry. The other man was standing, clad in a long white and blue coat trimmed with fur. He held a staff topped with an intricate fan of metalwork which cradled a large crystal. It shone faintly through the mist and rain. The man's blue eyes were unreadable, but I sensed great power burning within them.

"The witch has not the power to save the princess herself-not even her abilities can create a new heart from what has become an empty shell."

The _other_ Syaoran's cold, empty gaze flashed before me again at those words and the unease growing inside sharpened.

"However, for a price, she can set them on the path that will lead them to what they desire."

Fei Wong's voice was only a low rumble below my thoughts, but every word burned itself into my mind.

"In exchange for that which they hold most dear...their dreams can be fulfilled." Fei Wong spoke the last few words with a curious viciousness.

Before the other Syaoran's gaze, the black-cloaked warrior handed over his sword with a look of deep distrust, snarling that once his "curse" was broken, he would be back to get it. Yuuko glanced over at the paled-haired, pale-dressed man and asked coolly for the tattoo on his back. I couldn't see his face since he stood slightly in front of Syaoran, but he hesitated, tensing slightly.

"_This staff would be no good, huh?"_ he asked, sounding almost plaintive.

"_Certainly not,"_ Yuuko answered shortly. _"Did I not already say? The payment must be something of utmost importance to its bearer."_

"_I suppose I've no choice then..."_

I didn't need to see his face to know the expression it wore. His words chimed with forced ease, a shallow smile to fool the unknowing into believing he didn't care.

Light bloomed from the man's back and the tattoo appeared, an intricate, graceful pattern of woven lines. The runes encircling my body thrummed faintly in response and I realized that this too was a spell of binding, restraint. I wondered what reason he could possibly have for holding something like this so dear.

Sword and tattoo floated next to Yuuko's shoulder's, suspended by half-visible curls of her magic. Rain splashed down upon Syaoran, the now-weaponless warrior, and the pale wizard, but it did not seem to even touch the Dimension Witch.

"What do you think is most precious to _him_?"

Had it been physically possible, I think I would have jumped out of the tank, maybe out of the binding spells themselves. I had gotten so drawn in to what my other half was seeing that I'd forgotten Fei Wong was standing directly in front of me.

_What the hell do you want?_ I cursed him silently. _You're in here preening like you've already won! Their journey hasn't even started yet and-_

"It certainly wouldn't be anything he '_possesses'_-nothing he had was ever his to begin with."

It almost sounded like he was too watching what was happening in Yuuko's courtyard, the same as I was. I didn't care at that moment how he managed it. Ignited by the cold derision in his voice, my anger became something that burned white-hot inside me. Seven years of helpless waiting. Seven years of watching another person live a life that should have been mine, a life I could never hope for. Seven years of fighting off despair, fear, loneliness, and doubt with every scrap of discipline I possessed. I had learned new limits of patience in that time. But I was sick of it.

I wrenched my remaining eye open, forcing it to focus through the rippling water and the glowing runes that swam before me. That gaze sought out Fei Wong Reed and fell upon him like a spear.

My body felt like it was made of lead, the binding spells constricting tighter than ever around me. They could sense me fighting against them and automatically worked to suppress my power again.

But those spells were out of date. Strong as they were, their fundamental structure had not changed since I'd been imprisoned, and I had had seven years to examine every detail and twist of their power. I could see all the little cracks and weakenings in the spells' structure and knew they were not far from fragmenting completely.

Slowly, tortuously, my mouth formed the words.

_You...will not...win._

I felt like an ant pushing a boulder towards a cliff. It was agonizing, exhausting beyond endurance, but I **knew** I was close. Just a tiny bit farther and the weight I'd been straining against would tumble into empty space.

Fei Wong gazed coldly back up at me, wholly unperturbed. He must have felt the stirring of my power against his, but not a single flicker of emotion moved that stony expression.

"I already have." The whispered phrase dropped with the weight of an avalanche.

The anger burning inside me sharpened, impossible as that seemed. Power surged up from within, bright and keen as a new-forged blade. The impact rang in my mind like a bell when it slammed against the wall of Fei Wong's magic. It was almost beautiful, musical. I felt that wall shudder, cracks snapping out all through its length and breadth.

Yet, impossibly, it held.

My magic had broken through the crumbling remains of the binding spells. That alone should have been enough to dissolve them. But it wasn't. The spells were naught but tenuous threads surrounding me now, but those threads were still woven from a will and a power far stronger than my own.

Those steely eyes glared up at me now, narrower than they had been before.

"Not yet. I'll have you stay there for a while longer."

With that statement, he shoved my power back into myself, trapping it once more beyond my reach. My eye fell shut as though a hand of lead pressed upon it.

"Long enough for you to realize that what has been set into motion cannot be undone."

"_Syaoran."_ Yuuko's cool gaze settled on my other half. She looked deeply into his eyes and I almost felt she could see through him straight to me. _"Your payment will be...your relationship. The most important thing to you is your relationship with that girl. Therefore, I will have that."_

I felt disbelief churn in Syaoran's thoughts. _"What does that-"_

"_It means that even if this girl's every memory is returned to her,"_ Yuuko went on, _"your relationship cannot return to what it was before."_

She paused, and for an instant I thought I saw something like pity flash through her eyes.

"_This girl...who is she to you?"_

Syaoran's gaze fell again upon the still form of Sakura he held against his chest.

"_She was my first friend...the princess of her country..."_ I could almost see the memories that tumbled through his mind as he spoke, his voice wavering. _"The person more precious to me than anyone else."_

His arms tightened their hold on her, a gesture as tender as it was strong. I could feel his worry for her, keen as a knife blade.

"_I see."_ There was true pity in Yuuko's eyes now_. "However, if you should take Mokona, that relationship will disappear."_

Syaoran continued to gaze at Sakura as Yuuko spoke, her words punctuated by the rain that still poured down steadily. Sorrow clenched tightly around my heart as I watched the scene unfolding before me. My anger was long faded; I could no longer cling to that fiercely-burning fire.

"_Even if you are able to get back all her memories,"_ Yuuko went on, and her voice rang with uncompromising finality_, "the memories of her past with you will never return."_

I felt a chill wash over me, soul-deep.

"_That will be your payment."_

He had no choice. The path laid out before him could not be turned from.

I could feel Fei Wong's eyes upon me still, and his words flashed again through my mind, alarmingly clear.

_He certainly won't let his beloved princess **die**..._

"That's right," Fei Wong whispered, as though he knew exactly what path my thoughts had taken. "He would pay any price, travel to every world in Creation to retrieve the princess' feathers. No matter what stands in his way..."

"_Even knowing that...?"_ Yuuko asked.

Syaoran's head was bowed; Sakura's pale face hovered at the edge of his vision. That image burned in his mind like a physical wound. All his fear and worry and concern condensed, froze like ice around that image.

"_I will go."_

"He will overcome every foe, batter down every obstacle, because..."

"_I will **not** let Sakura die!"_

My thoughts churned madly with frustration and helplessness. I could see the chess board perfectly in my mind, the pieces all laid out, but one move away from check mate. And it was still Fei Wong's move. He may not have much time left, but I had none at all. Despair gathered in my mind like a thick, leaden shadow. I knew that something terribly important had been lost beyond recovery, something more important then even Sakura's memories.

Syaoran would not let her die. Getting the feathers back was the most important thing in the world now, the only thing left to him that he could live for.

Light and energy engulfed Syaoran, Sakura, and the two other men as Mokona's mouth opened. Magic exploded all around the little creature as impossibly long feathery wings unfurled from its back. They looked nothing like Sakura's, but my heart clenched in pained remembrance. A complex circle of runes glowed brightly beneath Mokona and the four humans, wrapping them all in the magical wind that would draw them to a new world.

* * *

Okaaayy...finished? Probably. Maybe. . Haven't quite decided yet, honestly. I've got at least one more scene nudging at me, involving Real!Syaoran's "awakening" and his escape. Seeing as there's no new Tsubasa chapter this week-T.T-I've got to do something to pass the time. 

Hope you enjoyed and again, sorry for the extreme delay. Feedback will be received with much rejoicing! XD


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